Tuesday, June 28, 2016

Lui Ha Venuto...In Chiesa!!! 6/27/16

Anziano Ridd
PC: Waddoups' Italy Rome Mission Blog
Hey family!

This week was hot. But thank goodness it was not as bad as last Thursday.

So on Tuesday, I had a scambio in Palermo with Anziano De Feo. He is an awesome guy who is from Canada. While together, we taught two great lessons and did lots of finding. Luckily it was not in vain. We found a couple of people who were interested. Also, since I was here with him, I got the opportunity to step up more and kinda be a senior companion. That helped me a lot and made me feel a lot more confident in the language.

Okay, now I will go over our investigators and lessons. This week, our main 2 investigators were A and DM. Both are progressing and are awesome. A has decided that she wants to try to quit smoking again and wants to make a plan with us to do so. So this week we are going to help her with that, and start it. She totally has a testimony; she just has been really struggling with this trial. DM has been really awesome. He always has the desire to know and learn more, and he loves what he learns about the church. AND THIS WEEK HE CAME TO CHURCH!!!!! Yay! So he is now working on finding his own testimony. We also met with a new investigator this week whose name is F. He's super cool and is interested in religion.

Then on Friday, the other Anziani got to baptize P! He is so prime, and was so happy. Both A and DM came and loved watching the baptism. After the baptism, there was a movie activity for English Course and we watched Meet the Mormons with our class. DM loved that. He just was raving on how amazing it is, and how it's like we are a big family. He also loves the fact that we read scriptures together as families and pray together. It made me so happy. (Click here if you'd like to watch Meet the Mormons on YouTube!).

On Saturday there was a ward activity which DM and A also attended. It was karaoke and dinner. Oh man...Italians love karaoke! Anyways, it started super late (as normal for Italians) and we left before most of it started. But it seemed super fun.

Sunday was a good day as well. We did lots of finding, and had a good Sacrament meeting.

This week our new Mission President comes in, and we plan to meet with him this Thursday in Catania...but Anziano Jensen has to renew his permesso that day. So say a prayer that we figure it out and get to meet him. Otherwise we might be the only missionaries in all of Sicilia not meeting him - hahaha.

Anyways, the mission is great; so much growth happens here. I love seeing the Atonement work and the joy it brings into the lives of others, and also to my own life.

Love all of you.

“Oh be wise, what can I say more?” (Jacob 6:12, Book of Mormon)

Love,
Anz Ridd


Baptism of P in Palermo! Anziano Ray & Anziano Moraes
PC: Rena Carneiro

Monday, June 20, 2016

Scirocco = Devil Winds

President Waddoups and Anziano Ridd at the Specialized Training meeting. 
Presidente & Sorella Waddoups complete their 3-year mission at the end of June,
at which time the new mission president will begin his mission.


Dear Family,

This week was interesting. We had a lot of bidone (people not coming to lessons/canceling) and so we also had a lot of finding. That was pretty good because we needed to get some good new investigators. Sadly, we only have potential investigators right now, but next week we have a lot more to work with!

We had Specialized Training on Wednesday. The Zone Leaders, Anziano Moraes and Anziano Ray, did a great job. The gave lots of emphasis on whose errand we are on. This was also the last time we got to see President and Sister Waddoups before they left. They are great, and it will be an interesting change when the Pickerds arrive. I guess it's not a massive deal for me yet, because I have only been here for 1 whole transfer.

So then on Thursday we did a Scambio with the ZL's. Anziano Ray and I had a lot of lessons planned but all got bidone except for one. But..that was because…

THURSDAY WAS HOT. Like, not just your casual, "Oh man, I'm walking in an oven today" hot...more like, "I just took a bath in habanero peppers, then sat in a sauna with heaters blowing on me for a day" HOT. So. What is a “Scirocco,” you ask? Well, I suppose in Texas it would be the the opposite of a cold front. But 10000x worse. So it's when hot winds from Africa come over the sea (and get hotter and more humid) and into Sicily. Wow, typing that up made it sound so much more lame. Let's make it insane like it was again. As described by a member, God is using his blow dryer. Pretty much, the wind was strong and hotter than the other air. But it was so hot that when we were walking down the street, the trash in the road caught on fire. So hot that there was absolutely no one on the streets of centro. All 5 bidone were because it was hot. So hot that the wheels on the buses caught on fire so they didn't have buses that day. So hot that 3 mountains around us caught on fire (well, between the heat and Mafia). It got up to 47°C which is like 114°F. And that doesn't account for the "wind grill!" Lucky enough, the next day was not that bad.

Sunday was a bit rainy in the morning. That's never a good sign, because it seems to me that Italians don't take weather changes very well. Sadly the sign foretold the truth - we didn't get most of our investigators to church. Either because of the weather or "other stuff." Because of this, we moved one baptismal date further out. Also, on Sunday afternoon we ate at FL's house. I feel like I eat like 6,000 calories at one meal every time I eat at someone's house. It hurts - but tastes good.

Anyways, today was zone calcio, and Palermo 1 district claimed victory. We are pretty much the best! Hahahha! It was tons of fun. I love playing, because last time I played I stunk. But I have come a long way and now I'm half decent. Not saying soccer is the coolest sport, but it's really growing on me. Besides it’s like the only sport we get to play.

So in my personal study, most of the time I do a similar thing - read a couple chapters of the Book of Mormon, then study for investigators; but this week I decided to start to look into some cool topics. One thing I found that I really liked was the talk by President Uchtdorf in 2009 October conference called The Love of God. I recommend it. (Click here to read or listen). The other one that I want everyone to read/watch if they can is Elder Holland's 2009 October talk, Safety for the Soul (Click here to read or watch Safety for the Soul).

I didn't take tons of pics so I'll send what I got. I saw another super sick motorcycle.

I love y'all!

Anziano Ridd

Another super sick motorcycle
Photo credit: Waddoups' Rome Mission Blog
romeitalymission.blogspot.com
PC: Waddoups' Rome Mission blog
Palermo Zone 
PC: Waddoups' Rome Mission blog
PC: Waddoups' Rome Mission blog

Tuesday, June 14, 2016

Mt. Pellegrino Try #2 :D

Mont San Pelligreno

Anziano Ridd - My "Texas German" Italian 
(Also add in Finnish, English & Dutch!)
Hey family!!!

Ok, so this week was pretty good. It flew by super fast!

I'll start off and say that last P-day we didn't make it to San Pellegrino. We missed a bus sadly. Today we are gonna try and go instead though. So yay! Maybe I'll send pics if I have time.

So this week we got to meet with P a lot more. He is so awesome - he came to church this Sunday and has a baptismal date. Weirdly enough, he was present for a strange lesson we had that involved a Bangla guy, a dog and 3 languages. So that was interesting but it's cool. Then we had good lessons with DM this week. At one of them we gave him like 3 pamphlets because he wanted some specific ones. He came to the next lesson so proud that he read them all, lol. Sadly he didn't come to church so we are gonna have to make sure he does next week.

A is doing well. She came to church and follows commitments, but sadly didn't quit smoking. She wants to stop though, so she said that after her finals this week she will try...praying!

This week was not too great for us for finding. No new investigators :(. But there is always next week.

My favorite scripture this week is 2 Nephi 22:2-3 -
2 Behold, God is my salvation; I will trust, and not be afraid; for the Lord JEHOVAH is my strength and my song; he also has become my salvation.
3 Therefore, with joy shall ye draw water out of the wells of salvation.

Weather is fine. Kinda hot. English course is good as always. This week I started up running. Last few weeks I have been lifting. I can’t believe how much I get fed at people's houses. Soooooo much food and like all pasta!

Keep doing awesome stuff!!

Love all of y'all!
Anz Ridd

This is a church in a cave in Monte Pellegrino
(Grotto of Saint Rosalia)


Anz. Ridd & Jhon, a YSA in the ward
An investigator